Earthquake Study Guide – Vocabulary
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aftershock
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a quake of lesser magnitude following a large earthquake in the same area
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moment magnitude scale
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a mean of measuring earthquakes the are too large for the Richter scale
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mercalli scale
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a of earthquake intensity based on the observed effects and ranging from 1-12
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epicenter
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the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake
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focus
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the point of origin of an earthquake
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continental drift
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large scale movements of continents over the course of geologic time
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surface waves
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the waves that travel along the earth's surface caused by earthquakes
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primary waves
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an earthquake wave in which rock particles vibrate parallel to the direction of wave travel *travels through solids and liquids*
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secondary waves
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an earthquake waves in which rock particles vibrate at right angle to the direction of wave travel *travels through solids only*
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magnitude
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a measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake as indicated on the Richter scale
